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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. L. AUSTIN.

RAILWAY GAR- I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. L. AUSTIN. RAILWAY 'GAR.

,sos. Paten sed June 7, 1898.

E STATES PATENT IVILLIAM L. AUSTIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, GEORGE BURNIIAM, EDW'ARD H. WILLIAMS, WILLIAM P.IIENS- ZEY, JOHN H. CONVERSE, SAMUEL M. VAUCLAIN, ALBA B. JOHNSON, ANDGEQRGE BURNI-IAM, JR, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,305, dated June 7,1898.

- Application filer] March 7, 1898. Serial No. 672,834. (No model.)

. T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. AUSTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Oars, of which the following is a specification, referencebeinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to the means of suspension or support of thebodies of railwaycars upon or with relation to the trucks. I-Ieretoforeit has been usual to support the car-body by a center-pin underthecar,-resting upon a corresponding center-plate on the top of thetruck. In cars in which a considerable weight is to be carried, while atthe same time easy riding of the car-body is desired, as in combinationsteam-motor cars, in which the weight of the boiler and engine to becarried is considerable,.the objections to the supporting of the Weight.upon the floor of the car-body and the supporting of the carbody uponthe truck in.the manner just referred to become very clearly apparent.The jars and vibrations of the car-body are increased, by reason of thegreat weight of the boiler and engine supported by the floor ofthecar-body, to suchan extent as to interfere materially with the easyriding 'ofthe carbody, and by reason of the considerable frictionbetween the truck and the car-body the truck does not swivel easily asthe car passes curves.

The main object in View in this invention has been to improve the meansof support or suspension of the car-body upon or with relation to thetruck in such a manner as to overcome the difiiculties above alluded to.

The improvements have been designed with especial reference to theirapplication to combinationsteam-motor cars, but are neverthe lessapplicable to cars of other types.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which convenient andpractical embodimentsof the invention are illus trated for the purpose of enabling the natureof the said invention to be more'clearly understood.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of a structurewhich embodies the tion is concerned, except as may be indicatedhereinafter, and it is therefore unnecessary to illustrate or describethe same in detail.

In Figs. 1 and. 5 of the drawings the floor of a car-body is indicatedat A, and at B in Fig. 1 is represented in part a truck-frame,

which is provided with wheels b b in the usual manner. ..The verticalsupport, to which referenceis made hereinafter, rests upon and iscarried by the truck-frame. I The structure shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and4 of the drawings comprises a plateO, which rests upon the truck-frameand is provided with a vertical flange or collar D to form a seat forthe boiler, which is indicated at E, and which in the present instanceconstitutes the support from which the car-body is suspended, the saidboiler projecting through and above the floor of the car-body. A plate Fin the structure shown is secured to the floor of the car-body in suchmanner as to carry the weight of the car-body and is provided with aflange .or

collar G, which fits around the support or of which are indicated in thedrawings, each suspension rod or hanger being connected to the support Eat one end and to the plate F or floor of the car-body at the other end.For convenience of attachment a suspension pad or bracket I is securedto the support or boiler E for each hanger H, the hanger passing throughthe bracket and having above the same a nut or nuts h, by means of whichthe length of each hanger can be adjusted easily. To provide for easyriding of the carbody and also for automatic adjustment'of the hanger asrequired by variations in the track, a spring h may be interposedbetween each hanger and its bracket, being shown in the drawings as aspiral spring resting upon the bracket, with a washer k interposedbetween v the nuts 72 and the upper end of the spring. As it is obviousthat the swiveling of the truck with reference to the car-body as thecar passes curves will deflect the hangers more or less from thevertical, a ball-joint bearing 7L3 is provided at each end of eachhanger, one below the plate F and the other above the bracket 1, toallow for such swiveling.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 5 the plate or ring 0, whichrests upon the truck-frame and carries the boiler E, constitutes thesupport from which the car-body is suspended. A plate F is arranged tocarry the weight of the car-body, substantially as described above, andis also provided with a flangeor collar G, which fits around thesupport, as before. Brackets I depend from the plate F for engagementwith the lower ends of the suspension rods or hangers H, which arecarried by the plate or ring G, nuts h, springs h, washers h andball-joint hearing, 7? being employed by preference, as alreadydescribed with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The functions of theseveral parts included in the arrangement just described aresubstantially the same as the functions of the corresponding parts inthe construction shown in Figs. 1,2, 3', and 4 and do not requirefurther explanation herein.

It will now be readily understood that with a construction such as thosealready described the car-body is relieved entirely of the weight of theboiler and engine or other heavy parts which are supported directly uponthe truck and that as a consequence the car-body will bethe easierriding. Moreover, as the weight of such parts is supported directly bythe truck, while the weight of the car-body is suspended by the hangers,there will be no friction due to weight between the center-plate of thetruck and the car-body and the truck will therefore swivel freely. Therecan be no side-swinging motion of the truck with reference to thecar-body, as the flange or collar G and the cooperating part which issupported on and secured to the truck guide and cenprecise constructionherein shown.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a'railway-car, the combination of acar-body, a truck swiveled upon a central guide, and suspension-hangersconnected to said central guide and to the floor of the carbody and bywhich said body is supported from said truck.

2. In a railway-car, the combination of a oar-body, a truck, a supportresting centrally upon said truck and projecting through and above thefloor of the car-body and suspension-hangers connected at their upperends to said support and carrying the car-bod y at their lower ends.

3. In'a railway-car, the combination of a car-body, a truck, a supportresting centrally upon said truck and projecting through and above thefloor of the car-body, suspensionhangers connected at their upper endsto said support and carrying the car-body at their lower ends, andsprings interposed between said hangers and the support.

4. In a railway-car, the combination of a car-body, a truck, a supportresting centrally upon said truck, suspension -hangers connected to saidsupport and carrying the carbody, and ball-joint bearings interposedbetween the support and the hangers and be- Ltween the hangers and thecar-body.

5. In a railway-car, the combination of a car-body, a truck, a supportresting on said truck, a plate secured to the car-body and having acollar to fiti about the support, sus- 1 pension-hangers connected attheir upper ends to said supportand at their lower ends to said plate,the contact-surface of said co1-. lar being rounded.

6. In a railway-car, the combination of a car-body, a truck, a boilerresting on said truck, and suspension-hangers connected to said boilerand carrying the car-body.

'7. In a railway-car, the combination of a car-body, a truck, a boilerresting on said truck, suspension-brackets secured to said boiler, andsuspension-hangers connected to said brackets and supporting thecar-body at their lower ends.

This specification signed and witnessed this day of March, A. D. 1898.

WVM. L. AUSTIN.

In presence of-- FRED. WOOLLUM, JAMES G. KEYS.

